roam
Americanverb (used without object)
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roams,
present (3rd person singular)
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roamed,
past participle, past
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roaming
present participle
verb (used with object)
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roams,
present (3rd person singular)
-
roamed,
past participle, past
-
roaming
present participle
noun
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
Roam, ramble, range, rove imply wandering about over (usually) a considerable amount of territory. Roam implies a wandering or traveling over a large area, especially as prompted by restlessness or curiosity: to roam through a forest. Ramble implies pleasant, carefree moving about, walking with no specific purpose and for a limited distance: to ramble through fields near home. Range usually implies wandering over a more or less defined but extensive area in search of something: Cattle range over the plains. Rove sometimes implies wandering with specific incentive or aim, as an animal for prey: Bandits rove through these mountains.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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roamsimple
-
roamssimple
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have roamedperfect
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has roamedperfect
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am roamingprogressive
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are roamingprogressive
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is roamingprogressive
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have been roamingperfect progressive
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has been roamingperfect progressive
Past
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roamedsimple
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had roamedperfect
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was roamingprogressive
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were roamingprogressive
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had been roamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of roam
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English romen origin uncertain
Explanation
When you wander without a plan or a specific destination, you roam. Your cat may stay close to your house when you let her outside, or she may roam around the neighborhood all day. Dogs and kids on bikes tend to roam in packs, looking for food or fun, while a tiger in the zoo roams aimlessly around his enclosure. Book characters' eyes sometimes roam, too, or glance over a scene without stopping: "Her eyes roam across the group, but there are no familiar faces." Experts have tried connecting roam to "pilgrimages to Rome," but there seems to be no relation between roam and Rome.
Vocabulary lists containing roam
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 2
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"When Cultures Meet"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Campaigners have taken part in a mass trespass in Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Ashton-in-Makerfield constituency over the right to roam in privately-owned green spaces.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
"Once my men are dropped, they have to roam over large distances to conduct search and rescue," Hawadi said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
At the same time, Dean likes to roam through breezy soft rock, ghostly piano laments and bossa nova by way of Dionne Warwick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
I’d roam Gardena and Torrance, eating soba, udon and tempura.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
They’d roam the nearby forests and meadows, gathering mushrooms, digging up edible roots, catching frogs and occasionally running away from tigers.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Until then, Promise's goat will continue enjoying special status at the student halls where he roams freely and even has some human-like habits.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
After reading Mr. Kneale’s op-ed we have an idea for a new slogan for the Sunshine State: Florida, where wildlife roams free and so do you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The five-person cast roams the room, sitting at various circular tables to blur the lines between script and improvisation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
He posted a list on X of what he called “press credentialing FOR DUMMIES: Press no longer roams free Press must wear visible badge Credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts.”
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2025
Mamá says she roams the rivers of the world in search of them.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
For millions of years, Pacific mastodons — huge, hairy relatives of modern elephants — roamed a vast and lush range that included California, Oregon, the northern Rocky Mountains and parts of Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
"This was left in the Late Jurassic when long-necked dinosaurs such as Diplodocus and Camarasaurus roamed North America," Dr. Romilio said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Earlier research modeled what would happen to deer-vehicle collisions if mountain lions recolonized the eastern United States, where they once roamed before hunting and habitat destruction left them largely confined to the West.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
In both cases neither of the artificial intelligence giants knew that their models had roamed the internet attacking companies until long after the attacks had been carried out.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Elegant white stags roamed the streets like citizens, and reptiles big as men drifted in the river.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Olana, Church’s magnificent home in upstate New York, presents an exhibition of his works from beyond the Hudson Valley—a visual travelogue roaming from South America to the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Ranch activities include hurtling through agility courses, swimming beneath a massive artificial waterfall and roaming sprawling fantasy playgrounds built expressly for their entertainment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
NASA's Perseverance rover, which has been roaming the red planet since 2021, has already collected samples ready to be taken back to Earth.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
The slowdown will be similar to roaming abroad with a data-limited SIM card, Taiwan officials said, describing what could be an unusual experience for a population accustomed to fast, pervasive mobile internet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
“But I’m-a tell you right now that you ain’t gunn like it. You ain’t gunn like roaming ’bout with ’em one bit.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
